From Casablanca to Ratatouille, the City of Lights has been a place of romance in hundreds of movies. Learn from my experiences and mistakes in Paris to make the most of your next visit: even if it’s only for one day. Whether you’re going on a Viking cruise or not, I hope that with this guide you can experience some of that Paris magic you’ve seen before on the silver screen!

My Last Visit to Central Paris

We started our day in London. After having some quick breakfast, we made our way over to St. Pancras International Station to catch our train. Unfortunately, our train ended up significantly delayed, compounding the issue of the time change.

• Top tip – When booking a Eurostar train from London to Paris, don’t forget that you lose an hour due to the time zone change!

Although we knew our time would be tight, the delay caused us to arrive in the afternoon for our only day in Paris. Short on time, and facing scattered showers, we went to our hotel near Gare de Lyon and then on to lunch. While we did not have time to go to our original choice, our lunch at Bistrot de la Gare was quite enjoyable.

• Top tip – You can purchase metro tickets on the dining car of the Eurostar train from London to Paris. Consider doing this to avoid long lines for ticket machines, and the infamous scammers and thieves in the French metro that look for tourists purchasing tickets.

After lunch, we took the Metro to our first destination. Due to the rain and the Louvre being closed on Tuesdays, we skipped the Palais-Royal, Louvre, and Jardin des Tuileries and went directly to Hôtel de la Marine.

• Top tip – If you’re spending one day in Paris, don’t do it on Tuesday. Not only is the Louvre closed, but so is the Musée de l’Orangerie, famous for Monet’s Water Lilies.

Now I know what you’re thinking. What is the Hôtel de la Marine? You probably won’t find it on any must-see lists or “Top Things to do in Paris” articles, but it is an interesting historical site. Overlooking Place de la Concorde, the Hôtel de la Marine was the home of the Intendants of the Garde-Meuble. These high officials were in charge of the acquisition, maintenance, and overseeing of the furniture and decorations of royal residences, such as Versailles. Marie Antoinette also had an apartment in the building in the same era. After the Revolution, the Hôtel de la Marine became the headquarters of the French Navy and remained as such until 2015.

After touring the Hôtel de la Marine, we stopped at Ladurée’s flagship store on the Rue Royale for their world-famous macarons and continued on to Place de la Madeleine, an area famous for specialty shops. We enjoyed a brief coffee and tea break at Le Colibri and sampled some artisanal mustard at Maille before moving on to the Arc de Triomphe.

• Top tip – The Arc de Triomphe has a tremendous view from its roof, but getting there is very challenging. If you have a disability or health condition, make sure to inquire about the elevators available!

The Arc de Triomphe was an absolute must-see, but climbing the spiral staircase to the top was honestly pretty tough. After our stair climbing odyssey, we ended our night with a dinner cruise on the Seine. With the Eiffel Tower in all its sparkly glory, it was the perfect nightcap for our afternoon in Paris.

Where We Stayed

Hotel Camille Paris Gare de Lyon – Located a short walk from Gare de Lyon, this is an ideal place to stay if you’re taking a train to another country from Paris. Notice a pattern with our hotel choices? Like I said about London, the last thing you would want is to be stuck in the infamous Parisien traffic on your way to your train. The area is not a major tourist hub, but the former site of the Bastille is nearby the hotel.

Everyone will tell you to book a boutique hotel in Paris to get a more authentic experience away from the tourist hotspots. It’s solid advice. But with the Hotel Camille you get the best of both worlds. There’s definitely a boutique charm to the place, especially with its antique “birdcage” style elevator, but it’s also a Hilton.

• Top tip – If you want the boutique hotel experience, consider the Hilton Tapestry Collection. Listed as a “gathering of independent hotels” on Hilton’s website, the Tapestry Collection offers you that boutique experience, but the convenience of using chain hotel rewards and points.

What We Saw in Paris

Hôtel de la Marine – Located in one of the biggest tourist areas in Paris, this site should get some more love. A little bit of military history, a little bit of Rococo elegance, and a tremendous audio tour make this a place I’d highly recommend!

Ladurée – This is perhaps the most famous place in the world to get macarons. It certainly isn’t cheap, but if you’re a fan of Macarons or just always wanted to try them in Paris, this is a must stop.

Place de la Madeleine – Famous for specialty food shops like Ladurée, Maille, and other top tea, caviar, and pastry establishments. Surrounding the neoclassical church La Madeleine, the shops and cafés are a great place to stop and enjoy the view for a moment.

Arc de Triomphe – A triumphal arch from the Napoleonic era, the Arc has a rich history with exhibits to explore and things to see around the monument. The top of the Arc also affords one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower and Paris skyline too.

Seine River Cruise – If you read blogs and articles by Paris experts, they’ll tell you not to do this. They might say that you can have a better dinner elsewhere, and they are absolutely right. The thing is, the cruise is not about the food, but about the sights of nighttime Paris from the Seine. If you want that perfect picture in front of the lit-up Eiffel Tower, this may be one of the best ways to get it.

Where We Ate

Bistrot de la Gare – Chosen by happenstance when we tried to sort our plans out near the place, this turned out to be a pretty nice restaurant. For those concerned about long wait times for lunch or bad service in Paris, we experienced neither here. Service was great and efficient.

Le Colibri – Despite the poor reviews on Google, I thought Le Colibri in Place de la Madeleine was a fine place to stop for a coffee or tea. Service was fine and quick. Maybe that’s the limit of this establishment. We did not order any food there so I cannot say.

What We Wish We Could Have Seen

The Louvre – This goes without saying. The Louvre being closed on our only day in Paris was truly unfortunate. One of the most iconic art museums in the world, the Louvre is a must-see in Paris, and on my return I will absolutely be going.

Habile. – 8^th amongst all Parisien restaurants on TripAdvisor, this restaurant came highly recommended by my late grandfather. A concept with a clothing store and restaurant in the same space, the menu is the stuff of dreams.  

Most Underrated

Hôtel de la Marine – If you are short on time, or simply want to avoid the huge crowds, consider going here instead of Versailles. Full of the same Rococo splendor, I’m not sure why this place of interest isn’t more popular!

If you’re interested in booking a Viking cruise and seeing how I visited Paris as a pre-cruise destination, look at the first article in this series here.

Don’t forget, by subscribing below you’ll automatically receive access to my Complete Viking Rhine Getaway Guide & Itinerary, which includes a section on Paris with a wonderful one-day itinerary for the city!